Hula Girls (2006)
September 9, 2006Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Yu Aoi
Kimiko Tanikawa
Yasuko Matsuyuki
Madoka Hirayama
Etsushi Toyokawa
Yojiro Tanikawa
Shizuyo Yamazaki
Sayuri Kumano
Shizuyo Yamasaki
Sayuri Kumano
Shoko Ikezu
Hatsuko Sasaki
Eri Tokunaga
Sanae Kimura
Hiroki Miyake
Mitsuo Igari
Susumu Terajima
Ishida
Masaru Shiga
Goro Kumano
Katsumi Takahashi
Seiji Kimura
Ittoku Kishibe
Norio Yoshimoto
Sumiko Fuji
Chiyo Tanikawa
Ami Ikenaga
Junko Soma
Natsuhi Ueno
Hiroko Miyata
Hiroshi Okochi
Union Leader for Miners
Media.
Details.
Release DateSeptember 9, 2006
Original Nameフラガール
StatusReleased
Running Time2h
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Hula Girls (フラガール, Fura gāru) is a Japanese film, directed by Sang-il Lee and co-written by Lee and Daisuke Habara, and first released across Japanese theaters on September 23, 2006. Starring Yū Aoi, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Shizuyo Yamazaki, Ittoku Kishibe, Eri Tokunaga, Yoko Ikezu and Sumiko Fuji, it is based on the real-life event of how a group of enthusiastic girls take on hula dancing to save their small mining village, Iwaki, helping the formation of Joban Hawaiian Center (now known as Spa Resort Hawaiians), which was later to become one of Japan's most popular theme parks. It received its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Hula Girls was critically acclaimed upon release in Japan and nominated for a total of 12 awards at the 2007 Japan Academy Awards, going on to win five major awards, including that of best film, best director, best screenplay, best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi), and most popular film. It also won two major awards at the 80th Kinema Junpo awards, including that of best film and best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi). Since its release in Japan, the film has been shown across theaters and film festivals worldwide. It was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.